Hey, Kid, I brought a pizza
by Anamin
Summary: Sequel to Freedom-At What Price? My take on what happens after the credits roll, so to speak. Teen rating to be on the safe side. Graverobber takes Shilo under his wing, what now? Chapter 6 updated!
1. Hey, Kid, I Brought A Pizza

A/N-_The title is meant to be sung to Through a Bug a Needle, that first line. Same amount of syllables. I find that I automatically replace the words with my story title, anyway._

Hey Kid, I Brought a Pizza

Shilo paid the fare and got out of the cab. She easily located the apartment on the first floor. The key worked in both the bottom and top locks. There was a light switch by the door. She flipped the switch and looked around. The surroundings were cozy. It wasn't lavish, but it wasn't a hole-in-the-wall either. There was a sofa, a coffee table, a rug, and duel lamps on end tables. She was met by a refreshing scent of clean, as though the sole purpose of this apartment was to be the cleanest digs in town.

She wandered into the kitchen. It was well-stocked. A bowl of fruit sat on the counter. She picked up an apple and began mindlessly to chew. It was juicy and tasted good. Suddenly, she realized that she hadn't eaten anything since the day before. She was starving, but she was also exhausted. Food could wait until later, she decided. The apple was gone, nearly before she'd begun to eat it. She pressed the pedal on the trash can and disposed of it.

The master bedroom was spacious with a king sized bed, and dark blue comforter. Shilo was drawn to it, due to how tired she was. How else was one supposed to romance Amber Sweet, perhaps? She decided not to go down that particular road of thought for the night. She sat on the edge of the bed and removed her shoes. She pulled back the cover and fell promptly asleep. It helped to have the sweater near which still smelled of her father's aftershave. She wanted to remember him as her father, not that horrible Repo Man. She knew the memories she had, and if they weren't always happy at least they were comforting. The stress of the day had worn her out. She was still living in denial. Not quite, her father had been very good at living in denial, well more like living a lie. She didn't begrudge him his actions now. He was dead. She had learned long ago never to say anything against the dead, under any circumstances, espeically given the time they were living in.

Hours later she awoke. She had no idea what time it was. There was no clock on the night stand, it was dark. She turned on the sidelamp. Her stomach growled noisily. She had only had the one apple. She wandered to the kitchen in her stocking feet.

"Hey kid, I brought a pizza" Shilo screamed. The man who had given her the key, from the other night, he had opened the window to the kitchen and had his head sticking inside proffering a large pizza, in the manor of a waiter with a tray. She took the pizza and set it on the table. He handed her equally a six-pack of beer, and a six-pack of colas. Idly, she wondered why he didn't just use her name. She'd only been called Shilo, or a variation thereof her whole life. It was odd to have a sort of nickname, and dare she say it a little endearing.

"You scared me."

"I didn't meant to. How goes orphan life?"

"It isn't easy. Why don't you use the front door?"

"That was my next stop."

He opened the door with a flourish and set two plates on the table. He gestured to the pizza. Shilo supposed she was supposed to dig in now. Half was covered in mushrooms and anchovies. The other half was pepperoni. Shilo grabbed two slices of the pepperoni side.

"Where's Amber tonight?"

"Otherwise occupied." He cracked open a can of beer, and held it out to her.

"Uh, no thanks."

"Come on, just a taste." He looked at her expectantly. She took the can and tasted it. She placed it on the table with a frown.

"That's okay, I'll stick to soda."

"Later then, it will help you cope."

"Maybe. So what now?"

"Wanna learn a lifetime skill?" He cracked open a second beer and grabbed two slices from the other side of the pizza.

"Like what?"

"Pharmacology."

"Huh?"

"Drugs"

"I don't think so."

"Suit yourself, but I doubt you have a ready plan of action."

"No, I don't have a 'plan of action'. I had never really planned on being an orphan."

"It had to happen sometime." Shilo put down the slice of pizza she was eating her brows furrowed in anger.

"Thanks a lot!"

"Hey, hey, easy kid. I'm just sayin'" He put his hands up in defense. " I don't live here, I just visit." he quickly changed the subject. "Stay as long as you like, be mindful that the cleaning lady comes on Wednesdays and helps herself to lunch."

"Um, thanks for everything. But I'll probably head back home soon."

"You better lay low. If Amber finds out where and to whom I happen to be disappearing to, she'll be none too pleased. The Largo's will be looking for you, or they'll want to make sure how alive you are. Can't contest a will if you're alive. You are technically the legal heir to the Largo fortune and GeneCo. A whole army of Repo Men at their disposal. . ."

Shilo gave a shudder. The situation was definitely looking grim, to say the least.

"I'll stay then, but I'm not sure for how long," she averred.

"Consider my offer, please. No matter what you decide you are free to stay for as long as you like. For now, I have business to attend to." He left, and belatedly Shilo realized, and she hadn't bothered to ask him his name.

To be continued. . .

_Reviews are love_ :)


	2. Thoughts and Things

A/N: _The characters have been bugging me. So I wrote a little more. Not beta'd, so all mitakes are mine._

Graverobber expertly dealt with lock on the old Victorian Wallace house. It looked like the oldest house on the block. As he closed the door, he stood still in his tracks. The place was trashed. Looked like Amber sent the Repo Men to dispatch the Kid. He couldn't say he blamed her. If he were in Amber's shoes he would have done the same thing. Cautiously, he climbed the stairs in case the intruders were still around, but he was only living thing in the house. Inside was dark, and dank. All the doors to the rooms had been thrown or kicked open.

He checked out what must've been the Kid's room. Plastic that had surrounded the bed was slashed, drawers were overturned, pictures were knocked on the floor. The piano was the only thing still left in one piece, mostly, he assumed because it was irrelevant to the search. The Kid was small, but not that small. He nearly tripped over an artificial skeleton that had been thrown across the entrance to the room. He shook his head. Amber didn't half-ass things.

A wig had been thrown across the bed. He stuffed it in his bag. The weather was still cold outside, she was going to need it. He also randomly picked up a handful of clothes from the floor. He was certain she probably wasn't thinking when she walked out of here last. He'd have to break the news to her eventually, as a safety issue, but he wasn't certain how she would be able to take it.

It wouldn't be the first thing he'd say the next time he saw her. He had no idea why he was harboring her except for personal interest. Graverobber and philanthropist were two words which would never go in the same sentence, and yet here he was, more or less protecting her. He wanted to have her around, and he couldn't put his finger on why. He knew it went beyond teaching her things. She certainly wasn't an idiot, and he'd be damned if he made her an addict of anything. Still, Shilo would need some loosening up. Alcohol would do her some good if ever he could introduce her to the right combination. She needed to talk and she needed to relax.

The death of his own mother was reason enough for him not to come out of his Zydrate stupor for more than a year. One day when he was so hungry and skinny that nothing could assuage his pain, he sold his final dose. Suddenly, the idean caught on. It was after that he went into 'business' on his own, as it were. He never starved nor was celibate ever again afterwards. That had been years ago, and he didn't think about it much since.

Graverobber, took a look around and finished up with his intended errand. He didn't need anyone to find him here. If he was found helping the Kid, she would instantly become a liability, and everything was for naught. He was determined not to let that happen. He checked around the kitchen. It was the worst of all. Food was everywhere, and much of it was starting to rot as well as stink. He did not envy the next owner of the house. He was tempted, in fact, to torch it on himself, but decided against it. He would need to make at least one more trip, if not for valuables (for surely they were all gone by now) then at least for the Kid. She'd need other things, he was almost positive.

Suddenly, he heard alarms and saw lights flashing. Dark shadows thrown on the wall by figures walking past made it plan that he didn't want to stay any longer. _Repo Men!_ Time to go; rest assured, he'd be back.

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He peeked in the window as The Kid slept. She was restless in her sleep. Finally, she settled down to some sort of dream, or nightmare perhaps? Part of him wanted to go and fix the covers where she had kicked them off, but he refrained, of course, and his quads were killing him. Why on Earth did he peer through windows like this all time anyway? Noiselessly, he walked around to the front to drop off the paper bag with Shilo's things in them. The housekeeper would be in today, she would pick them up on her way in.

Shilo woke up startled. It must have been the middle of the night. She palmed the lamp on. Her eyes took a moment to focus. She had worn the gray sweater for a second day in a row. Somehow it gave her strength. Her dreams were fitful, evidenced by the state of the king sized bed. She flicked on the television. News of what had happened at GeneCo., and announcements that she had gone missing were all over the news.

She flicked off the appliance in disgust. That grave robber (what the heck was his name?) was right. Amber and the Repo Men (she refused to think of her father as one) were looking for her. Hopefully she would be safe here for a time. She got up to get a glass of water. Shilo started as she heard a small noise at the front door.

Graverobber winced as he put down the bag. It had accidentally scraped the front of the door. Shilo opened the door a crack.

"Hey, are you coming in?" She suddenly felt sort of alone and was glad to see a more or less friendly face. Her feelings these days were very confusing. Who could she trust? She opened the door a little wider.

"I hadn't planned on staying no," he frowned, "there are some things in the bag I'm sure you'll need."

"How about some hot chocolate? It gets kind of lonely around here." Suddenly, Shilo realized she also had questions nagging at the back of her head and had a feeling that this man wouldn't lie to her.

That was when she began to see stars. Her father's 'medicine' had yet to be purged from her system. It was funny, being the last remnant she had of him; she didn't want to let that go either. Her knees buckled next and then she blacked out.

Graverobber mentally rolled his eyes and dove to catch the Kid before she crashed to the ground. She was so light in his arms and smelled of soap and shampoo. He walked back to the room and gently set her on the bed. He gave over to his original impulse and rearranged the blankets around her, up and under her chin. Instinctively, he ran a hand over the smooth skin of her head starting from her neck and going forward; the opposite of how one would soothe a child. Her brows unknit as his had lifted from her forehead. It made her look a little less forlorn. He would personally kill anyone who laid a hand on her. _Where the heck had that thought come from?_

Before he could think further on the matter, walked to the front the door and opened it, checked that everything was all clear, and headed back out into the dead of night.


	3. Duck and Cover Kiss and Run

_A/N- Thanks so much for the reviews! This story is experimental and may not have an end, but I feel like something had to happen after the credits rolled. Also. if I don't write this I'm going to bust. I realize Shi might not be saying some of the words I have coming out of her mouth for as innocent as she is, but just consider her well read._

Shilo woke up shortly after Graverobber left. She was never out for very long after the 'medication' wore off. She was up and around in a few minutes when it happened to her at the opera a few nights ago. She looked around for that grave robber, she found no one. _That coward! _She was angry. The only personal contact she'd had with another living soul and he dashed off. _What the hell was he afraid of??_ She calmed down lest her blood pressure get the better of her. She tried to think it through. Her father was the only person she'd really known. Rotti, and Mag came after, and of course that grave robber.

It had been he, not her father, was the one who had reached out for her and been there in her time of need, come to think of it. She wanted to slap him sometimes. He was always running. He knew she had questions. He had to answer for how her mother's body was left with him when he was strung up by Amber. That settled it. First, she was going to slap him, next she was going to interrogate him. If nothing else she'd learned in the past few days, she was going to have to stand up for herself. The only person she could rely on was herself. It was sad, but there it was. She had to live with it as there was nothing she could do about it. She was silently thankful for the anger, it was waking her up to herself. She did have a backbone after all. She got up and looked in the paper bag that had been left at the door. Her wig and a change of clothes lay just at the top. She was glad of both. Shilo changed; glad to have clean clothes on. Last but not least, over her outfit, she slipped on her father's gray sweater.

Shilo could never forgive him for what he'd done, but in the end he had been the only parent she'd known and the only other human being who had cared one iota about her. The walls on the apartment were bare. There wasn't much to look at except for the TV in front of the coffee table, and since Mag's death, Shilo had no reason to watch television now. She wished she had some of her bug collection to hang on the wall, and she desperately missed her piano. Aside, from the bed, it served as an alternate place to sit, but she composed a few melodies as well; Bug Melodies. She would sing them to her father sometimes when he came to check on her. Shilo regretted that she never wrote down her little ditties. Iridescent butterflies would look stunning against the pale yellow of the walls.

Just as she began to contemplate this, she heard the door handle. She prepared herself mentally for a fight and was startled to see a nondescript woman come bustling in with cleaning supplies.

"Ah chica!" The woman exclaimed. "He had said to look out for you, and here you are." She smiled.

"Who are you?" Shilo had put her hand to her throat in silent alarm at the sight of the woman.

"I am Lucina. I clean." She mimed a feather duster.

"Ah." Things suddenly clicked for Shilo. Upon first entering the apartment, the grave robber had said that the cleaning woman would come, and not to be alarmed. Well that clearly didn't work. Why didn't he take into account her state of shock? Since it was physically impossible for her to have a heart attack at this stage, she simply greeted Lucina back. Lonely as she had been, Shilo actually wanted to get some air, and possibly gather more of the things she so missed so much. She had never been outside before, not in the conventional sense. Now that she was the master of her own destiny, perhaps she could take in a few sights. She realized that danger existed, but she knew how to skirt it now. She was feeling restless. Maybe there would be a bug or two in the walking.

"Excuse." Shilo turned. "Hmm?"

"Your sweater, it has spots." Yes, Graverobber had said she cleaned and did the laundry. She didn't even notice the blood (probably her father's) on the sweater from where she had hugged it tight that first night. Obediently she took it off.

"Of course." Shilo handed Lucina the sweater. She donned her pack and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich. She was in the mood for peanut butter. Shilo still couldn't believe how well stocked the kitchen was and yet on the counter were more grocery bags. Lucina must have brought them in with her. She found what she needed, assembled the sandwich, and stuffed it in her bag. Lucina was nowhere in sight. Shilo let herself out, being sure to stay alert for any sort of danger.

* * *

Graverobber stood in the graveyard extracting the pure Z. Pure Z was different from the refined, less potent Z that came from GeneCo. Why again had he gotten involved with the little wretch? Why was he protecting her? He decided it was to get back at Amber, in the end. She would so totally hate what he was doing.

He was getting in her way by keeping the kid, and by keeping her alive. She was a tasty piece of flesh, he knew that if the opportunity ever came he'd leap at it, but she was sort of gaunt and thin. He needed to nurse her back to health before. . .he reminded himself not to go there, much as he wanted to. He had damn well better slow down his thoughts if he expected to get anywhere with her, not that it was priority one. Priority one was to keep her safe, and out of Amber's hands. If he didn't have that he had no way at all of getting back at Amber, and he intended to make her very sorry for what she'd done. She hadn't made life easy, but he hadn't gotten where he was by not being at least a little cunning.

She was a Z addict and always would be. She'd be back, and maybe then he'd hand over the whelp, but for now she was his. Graverobber was not one to deal in kidnapping, but in this particular instance, it served a purpose. Besides, she was free to go where she wanted to, he didn't have her under lock and key like her father did, but mentally she wasn't equipped with the self-preservation and survival instincts he had. More likely than not she was too afraid to open the door.

Graverobber had been so lost in thought he hadn't realized he was creeping up on a Repo Man. Back to back they bumped into each other. _Shit!_ With a word of command, the hooded man raised the alarm. Graverobber was back to running.

Shilo was more than halfway to the house when Graverobber, coming from the opposite direction ran flat into her. "Kid?" He needed to stop calling her that, seriously. He was genuinely surprised. Shilo had changed into a clean skirt/shirt/boots combo and had affixed her wig. His blood was now pumping for more than one reason. "Hey!" she exclaimed. Graverobber needed a hiding place. He looked around. Unfortunately, the Wallace home was closer than the apartment. Without an apology or another word, he grabbed her hand and started running. The Repo Man was not too far distant. The alarm klaxons still blared.

Graverobber took Shilo and ducked into an alley with her and backed her against a wall. They'd be looking for one, not two. His hand came up around her neck and his knee went between her thighs in one smooth and practiced motion. He liked to take Amber this way. Shilo was shaking with fear and anger. On impulse he licked the side of her pale, lovely neck, then he went in for a passionate kiss.

Shilo's head spun and her eyes went wide. All thoughts fled. She hadn't ever really kissed anyone before. Her whole body sort of tingled and her abdomen flushed. She returned the kiss with enthusiasm. He was a good kisser. There was a reason a crowd formed when he walked into Addict's Alley. Her senses flooded with the smell of him, dirt, and leather all mixed. He was surprisingly warm, even though he'd been outside in the air for a time. She began to melt against him. Her outer senses told her that a Repo Man had just passed them by in their more than compromising position. She broke the kiss and slapped Graverobber for all she was worth.

"You are an asshole!" she yelled, senses returning to normal.

"Keep it down, Kid." He hissed, and released her, any hint of an amorous mood broken.

"Just what in the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Escaping. And is that any way to thank the man who saved your life? Twice now if you count that Repo Man back there." He pointed, a little more than genuinely affronted.

"You are a creep!" She hissed back, also not wanting to be heard.

"What're you doing out here?" he countered.

"Gathering things. Your lack of décor, while not surprising, leaves something to be desired. I was intending to grab my bug collection."

"Kid, you can't go back there," his face looked pained.

"Why not?" Her brows knitted together in confusion.

"Look I didn't want to say anything about it before, but they totally trashed the place."

"What?" The house had been fine just a few nights ago.

"They. Are. Looking. For. You." Each word was its own syllable. "We went over this." He felt somewhat exasperated at the need to repeat himself.

Shilo stopped to think about this. Graverobber went on. "On the upside it means they've been there already and will make an excellent hiding place for a bit. There's no time to return you to the apartment first. Let's go." He didn't stop to explain that she was a liability or that her cover would be blown if they followed him back to the apartment. He was going to keep his explainations simple.

Shilo nodded, following close behind. "But no more shenanigans," she warned. Graverobber just chuckled low in his throat and kept walking.

_Thanks as always for reading!_


	4. 20 Questions

A/N: _Can you spot all 20 questons?_

Graverobber walked on in silence. He decided that no, he wouldn't turn the kid over to Amber, not that he had ever been seriously considering it. Even just before the kiss. He had made that choice the minute he handed her the key. No, it was too late for that. It was too late to profit from her. He was starting to enjoy the company and actually 'care' for her. He wondered if she had that sort of effect on every bystander she happened to meet. It had been awhile since he'd last laughed. The promise of more laughter to come dangled like a fragile, teasing thing. The last woman he had cared about was dead. Maybe he could save someone for once, rather than corrupting them.

The Repo Men would have no mercy on her, of course. He ducked them from tree to tree, corner to corner, and in some cases gravestone to gravestone, depending on where the path he picked led them.

Shilo bravely followed along and didn't complain. She was lost in thoughts of her own. For one, it was hard to believe that this was the first time she was seeing her own neighborhood. Streets she should have known by heart. Streets that other girls knew by heart. It seemed odd to her that she didn't see anyone else out her age. People, clearly addicts, looked longingly at the grave robber as he passed, but he didn't seem to notice them. She figured he was planning their next move. For another, she was galled that she needed to follow someone. She _could_ blame it on her father, but it wasn't like she didn't know how to slip out of the house. True, she had been conditioned to fear anything out-of-doors, but she was embarrassed at her lack of rebellious spirit. Her need to be outside superseded just about anything in her life. She was surprised she hadn't taken it upon herself to make a trek outside prior to now.

Her thoughts wondered back to the kiss. She analyzed and re-analyzed in her head each feeling, each smell, the sensations that were all so new to her. She had always imagined having a boyfriend, not that he was her boyfriend, but if she had one the image she had in her mind had been different. _He_ was some grave robber. He was like, a guy, a real guy; she would even hesitate to say a bad guy. His profession certainly wasn't nice. So why was he doing nice things? He had called her beautiful back when he had been strung up by Amber. She was skin and bones. She looked nothing like the buxom head of GeneCo. Did he mean it? Everything had a price.

Before she could wonder or ask any more questions they arrived at the quaint, Victorian building; formerly her home. She walked up to the door.

"Hey Kid, be careful, there's like, glass and stuff."

She didn't hear. Quickly she inserted her house key and opened the door. Emotion steam-rolled over her. In one glance her entire childhood was wrecked. Sure there would be salvageable things, but the bulk of the items were completely totaled. What on earth were the Repo Men thinking? "The house. . ." she could feel her knees begin to go.

Graverobber was right behind her, and place an arm around her shoulders to steady her. Without thinking, she buried her head in his chest, seeking comfort. With yet another mental eyeroll, Graverobber placed his other arm around her in a light embrace. He was going to have to get used to eyerolling, it was happening quite frequently these days. He stroked her hair. "Hey," he said close to her ear, "it's okay."

He didn't have the slightest clue. He was completely outside of his depth. This was not how he was used to giving comfort. She was very close and very soft, but now was not the time for what he would have typically asked for from any other mark. A mark, isn't that what she was? Graverobber didn't like these newfound mushy feelings. He had no experience with comfort, not like this. He wasn't a family man. He tried to remember what it was like the day he and his mother found out his father wouldn't be coming back home. His mother had comforted him much like this. Nice as it was, it was a very tempting state, however with his coat half-open as always her tears had begun to form an unpleasant wet spot on his shirt, leaving her mark on him. He pulled her back by her shoulders.

"Maybe we can clean things up a little," he suggested, "I'm going to check the kitchen, you start here."

Shilo nodded. The work would get her mind off of the terrible mess that the Repo Men had made, probably under Amber's orders. She righted the chair in the hallway, and the coat rack. She replaced the clock on the mantel. There was nothing she could do about the vertical slashes on the wall through the wallpaper. She had no idea what that was supposed to accomplish, other than sending a message. _This will happen to you._ Shilo was curious, but not prepared yet to know what had become of her room. It was enough just to take in the foyer.

Most of the lights had been smashed except for a set near the fireplace. She ran up the steps and righted the statue that had been carelessly thrown across the landing. The face came away in her hands as she attempted to stand it up. _It could be repaired._ Shilo stuck to the thought. Like she could be repaired? Much as she didn't want to think it, she was broken. The closest people to her were dead, and her father had made sure she didn't get to know anyone else. She looked around. The room just needed a little sweeping that was all. The carpet had been cut up and thrown aside, leaving the bare boards. She left it where it was.

Shilo sharply inhaled. An object from the past brought her up short. Her father's bag. The bag stood in the last place he had left it, just after arguing with Mag and was testament to the life that she never knew he'd lead for so many years. The Repo Men hadn't taken it or thrown it about. This was also probably left for a reason. The tears began to well-up in her eyes again. She put her arms around herself and began a soft, high-pitched keening. She didn't know what else to do. Shilo had figured it would be okay to come back, but seeing the house in this condition had been like a bombshell to her already frazzled nerves.

Graverobber heard the sound of her distress and came back out of the kitchen. He took her by the outside of her arms and backed her up to the staircase until she was sitting. He was suspiciously out of flippant words, she dimly noted somewhere at the back of her head. She had begun to sob, her breath coming in little hiccups.

"Did you bring one of those colas, Kid?" The grave robber asked her. Shilo reached into her bag and produced one of the colas from a couple of nights ago that had accompanied the pizza. She numbly handed it to him. He disappeared out of sight, only to come back with two tumblers full of the dark liquid complete with ice. Shilo smiled despite her state of mind. Graverobber handed her a glass and clinked his against hers in the time old tradition of cheers.

Shilo gulped deeply. The cold liquid felt good on her throat. She drained the glass and began a fit of coughing.

"I think that cola was past its due date." Graverobber smiled giving his face a ghostly appearance.

"That was a mixed drink, Kid. You needed it. In fact, you could do with another. I can't believe they actually left some of the good stuff behind." He mused, mildly.

"What? I've never-" Shilo began.

"Save me the 'I've nevers', princess. You need it. This is a tough thing to face, you need to. . . chill out." The last two words came out in a sort of whisper. Shilo leaned into his personal space.

He snatched her glass, disappeared and reappeared with two more drinks of the same ilk. Shilo felt kind of funny, but her throat hurt, so she drank down the second concoction as well. She felt hunger gnawing on her and took out the sandwich she had made earlier. Without thinking, she proffered half to Graverobber, who took it with a curt nod. Suddenly, she remembered her questions from earlier.

"So, like, what were you doing with my mother's body earlier? That was my mom, right?"

"Rotti paid me to take it, and the dress so he could lure you out and trap your father."

"Why did you work for him?"

"I'm an opportunist. I get work where I can." _Why in hell was he being so frank with her?_

"Why did Amber string you up like that?"

"I dunno, kid. I'm assuming it was one of her little games. Mostly, to make sure I didn't go after her once she cleaned me out."

"But upside down? How'd you get away?"

"I'm a man of many talents and resources." He buffed his nails on his shirt.

"How did you get out of the graveyard?"

"I plead the fifth." Shilo leaned into him again.

"Why did you kiss me back there?" she was feeling daring.

"Because you're beautiful." He leaned into her and kissed her softly on the lips, and pulled back, checking for her reaction. Her eyes fluttered opened again. He was starting to enjoy himself. He was having, dare he think it, fun.

"I'll do it."

"What?" It was his turn to ask a question.

"I'll work for you. You said the invitation was open," she clarified.

"No, you can't." Why had he told her she could? He could keep track of her that way, but there were people he didn't want her to meet either dead or alive.

"I can stand watch, that way you won't get caught. I don't wanna do any of that other stuff."

"No." He turned bodily from her. He felt terrible about denying her anything. Her father had closed off so much of the world from her already, but this. . .she didn't fit in.

"Why?" She persisted

"Because you just can't." Why was she so stubborn? Shilo stood up.

"Fine."

Her toes and fingers felt numb. She slowly climbed the rest of the stairs. Shilo was finding it terribly easy in this house to revert back to her old self from before her father died while she was in this house. She kicked the skeleton out of the doorway to her room and made her way to her bed. Mattress innerds and odd stuffed animals were everywhere. The Repo Men had missed her floppy-eared bunny under the bed. In a silent rage she pulled the remaining plastic from the canopy of her four-poster. Wordlessly, she threw it aside and lay on her mutilated bed. Even though her father was dead, people were still trying to tell her what to do. Free, but not free. She hugged the bunny close. She was used to falling asleep alone while her father was out. She didn't need to look at the doorway to know that the grave robber was standing there.

"Look, kid-" he started.

"Go away. What business do you have with a 17-year-old girl?" Shilo spat bitterly. She hadn't turned her body to him to say this, she lay on her side, facing away from him. Graverobber had to admit that the words stung him a little. At the same time he had to ask himself the same thing. He was out of answers for the night. Sudddenly, Shilo sat up, angry, waiting for an answer. She stared at him defiantly. He didn't have one. He began to cross to the bed, an island amid the flotsam of broken childhood memories. Shilo put her hand up.

"Don't. Don't, unless to mean to stay in it for the long haul. Everybody else has left me and died." Shilo realized that she sounded petty and childish, but couldn't help it. "If you're going to do _this_, if you're going to be in my life, I need to know it's for good." She demanded.

"Get some sleep, kid. You'll feel better in the morning." He'd played this game longer than she had. She was well within her rights and had been through a lot of emotions tonight. Slowly, he backed out of the room, leaving Shilo to her things.


	5. Ships Passing

Graverobber went downstairs to find the liquor that had provided the mixed drinks. He finished the bottle and didn't bother to find any soda to mix it with. He had no idea what his intentions were with a 17-year-old girl, but he knew one thing-he was drawn to her. He was drawn to her in a way that didn't compare with how he was drawn to Amber.

Graverobber and Amber happened almost against his will. This girl was different. She was sweet, and pure, no surgery and had a capacity to possibly care for him. He didn't want to admit it, but he would love it if he had someone to care for him again. He missed his mother. Shilo was intelligent, and sweet, and did have a mind of her own-like Amber but different. As he neared the end of the powerful spirits he sat down on the steps, and rested his arms and head on the step above where he was sitting. Exhausted by the events of the day, thinking about the kiss in the alley, and a certain pale neck, he fell promptly asleep.

He awoke to sounds. Where in the heck? Oh, right, the Wallace home. Moans and whimpers came to his ears next. Groggily he looked around. The crick in his neck was killer. He staggered up the stairs to see what was going on. The kid. She was dreaming again, fitfully.

"Daddy," the words came softly from her lips. _Poor kid_, thought Graverobber, _she is going to be so cracked up._ Shilo had changed to a short nightgown, he realized. He was surprised she had managed to find one that wasn't torn up in the commotion from Amber's Repo Men. Moving from the doorway, he sat on the edge of the bed. He nearly didn't make it. He was still dizzy from the earlier intake of alcohol add to that he wasn't quite awake either. Graverobber made no movement to touch her, but instead lay down on the mattress next to the sleeping beauty. _Much better_.

Shilo was still struggling in her sleep. It wasn't wise to wake people like that. She could wake up disoriented. Not good. He turned his head to his right and had to dodge as Shilo almost gave him a broken nose in her struggles. She smelled like roses and bathroom soap, and talcum powder. In order to save himself some plastic surgery, he put an arm around her waist tentatively, under her left elbow where she still clutched the pink stuffed bunny. Shilo quieted. He pulled her close to his chest, moving his arm so that he now had her entirely by the waist. She snuggled back into him. Graverobber decided that he liked the feel of her, soft and warm. He kissed the back of her head.

"Good night, Sleeping Beauty," he murmured to her neck and fell asleep once again.

* * *

Shilo awoke a few hours later very warm and cozy. It dawned on her that she was pinned in place. She still had the muzzy feeling of sleep. Then she realized she wasn't alone. What the hell? She was in her old room, not the spacious bed in the apartment. And uh someone was snoring into the back of her neck. She felt something wet; drool.

"Ew!" she squealed and struggled. The grave robber had her around the waist by his arm. She hastily removed it, and wondered how he had ended up here in the bed. She must have been having nightmares again. Impulsively, she threw her bunny at him. This only served to have him roll over to his to his left side, hand under his cheek, still leaving her half of the bed in the clear- with the minor exception of a spot of drool on her pillow. He looked sort of endearing on her rather girly four-poster. He still had his clothes on, his surprisingly clean boots not leaving any marks on the mattress. He was on top of the coverlet, and she was underneath, so they clearly hadn't done the obvious.

"Oww," Shilo whined softly. Her head hurt. She felt a sudden nagging sensation in her body that meant nature was calling and got up to head to the bathroom.

When she came back the grave robber hadn't moved. She wondered idly when the last time was he had slept on a bed of any sort. She stood in the doorway of her room undecided.

Shilo had two choices. One-she could go back to bed, or two-she head run back to the apartment sans escort. The second option didn't really appeal to her. She had no way of remaining safe should the Repo Men come for her. On top of that, she didn't have an ally right now except for her sleeping 'friend' (she used the term 'friend' rather loosely). As hard as life was going to be right now, she didn't particularly want to be Amber Sweet's prisoner. Nothing had to tell her, she just knew, that should Amber Sweet find her life would be much, much worse.

True, she had made an ultimatum, but she hadn't been thinking clearly. She had no one left. If he was the best she could do for herself, even if he didn't stick around, wouldn't it be ok while it lasted? Just for a little while until she could find someone else? Did she want to find someone else? She probably should. His bad influence was bound to rub off on her at some point. Hell, he was already starting to grow on her. She had to have an aunt, uncle or cousin _some_where.

The day was beginning to dawn, cloudy and gray. Days like that always made Shilo want to climb into bed and sleep the rest of the day through. Sighing, she figured she could make the decision later, when she was better rested. She walked over to the bed and removed a few strands of multi-colored hair from the grave robber's face.

"Good night, Sweet Prince," she uttered and dropped a kiss on his cheek, despite the smell of alcohol he still retained. She had always wanted to say that. It was a line from a play somewhere; she didn't remember it at this early hour. Graverobber had stopped snoring, and hopefully, drooling. Shilo flipped her pillow over to the completely dry side, and lay facing away from him. She listened to the raindrops against her window and was lulled back to sleep nearly instantly.

* * *

It had been some time since Graverobber had awoken next to anyone. It had been even longer since he'd actually slept in a bed. There was a tiny hand on his thigh that was waking more than his mind. The kid must have shifted in her sleep, probably guided unconsciously by the warmth of his body. Her head was buried against his shoulder. He got up softly. Shilo whined a little at the loss of warmth. Delicately, he replaced the coverlet yet again up to her chin, making sure her bunny was next her on her pillow. He chided himself for the sentimentality. He carefully stepped around the flotsam of things in the room and crept down stairs. There was nothing he could do about the intermittent creaks coming from the old wood, but it didn't seem to wake the kid.

The gray and cloudy day didn't promise to produce many customers, but there was work to be done anyhow. He shivered mildly. Where was that freaking thermostat? Shilo could catch cold in this weather. He caught himself again. He reminded himself of the mother birds incubating their eggs. Either way, he was freezing, and he was sure that the kid must be, too. Graverobber walked downstairs and found a fireplace instead. _Aha!_ The thought was triumphant. It must be a gas fireplace, surely. He started touching things looking for the starter switch. Nothing.

Suddenly, the whole wall swung outward, leading to a secret passage. _Well that was definitely unexpected_ thought Graverobber. He continued down the narrow passageway until it opened out into a yellow tiled room. The thought struck him that this is where Shilo's father must have come to literally do his dirty work. The floor was cement with a drain in the middle. _Probably for easy clean up_, came Graverobber's grim thought. There were a few instruments hanging on the wall. A side table held other surgical instruments in a metal tub and a stained gurney stood in the corner. The floor was completely clean as though it had been hosed down and bleached. He shook his head in horror. He was used to dealing with the corpses after they'd already gone through this shit. Unashamedly, he retched in the nearest corner. On the opposite wall were French double-doors leading out into a gated garden, as though it were the most normal house on the block-unbelievable!

Without a second thought, he turned and went back down the passageway, and fled the house through the front door. The secret chamber glided to a close behind him. He had work to do, valuable instruments be damned. He might go back and pilfer a couple now that he knew what was down there, but in all honesty, none of those instruments were pertinent to what went on with _his_ line of work. He hoped his mind would stay far away from the room he had recently discovered. He would be back in any case to check that the kid was safe.

The evening and early morning hours were busiest, but the cover of a dark, damp day might just be enough to lure some customers out for just one more fix. He worked most hours of the day if people knew where to find him. Seeing how he slept through the darkest hours of the day, he was curious to see what the lighter hours of the day would bring.

* * *

Shilo awoke for the final time probably sometime around noon. The day looked the same at all hours on a dark and drizzly day, like this one. The first thing she noticed was that she was now alone, a shallow indent on the mattress was the only thing indicating that the grave robber had been there. She wandered the house thinking he might be near, but he was most definitely gone. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She had told him to go. She was sure that she didn't want to get involved with him unless he was going to stick around for a time, but it seemed that would most likely be the case. She couldn't seem to shake him, so it was foolish to warn him back. He was going be back no matter what she said. She just had the feeling. He was like a little lost puppy dog looking for someone to love. It was probably a too cute, if accurate, analogy.

She wandered into the kitchen and found the glass bottle of vodka on the counter. He had finished the rest, she assumed. It had probably been awhile since he'd even had any of the real stuff. She looked around the kitchen and couldn't mask her surprise at how much of an improvement he had been able to make in such a short time. Most of the rotting food and trash was in a corner by the door that led to the patio and garden. She had never been out that door, so it was just as well that he piled all the trash there. Shilo's preferred route was to go by her mother's mausoleum. At least her mother hadn't lied to and betrayed her.

Checking around in the cupboards, she found an old package of Twinkies. It would do for now. She took two for now and two for later. If Graverobber wouldn't take her with him to 'work' willingly, maybe she could follow him and learn that way. She'd hide, natch, but if there was any trouble she could always holler. All it would take would be staying within earshot.

She nodded to herself and went to the bathroom to shower and change. 30 minutes later, she affixed her wig, reapplied some make-up and packed her bag. Shilo walked down the passage that led to the mausoleum, this time without her mask. She never knew how freeing it could be. The last time she had come through here it was to meet Rotti Largo, now dead. There was so much death that night. She was still having a hard time coping with it. Rather than dealing with it, she put it to the back of her mind and relegated it to a spot that she dared not visit for quite some time.

Shilo peeked around the corner from the cavern entrance. What she saw made her gasp in surprise. She could see shadows. Cautiously, she peered through the window in the mausoleum door. Two Repo men had been stationed outside of it. _Damn, damn, damn,_ she cursed inwardly. Amber must have had access to her father's videos and knew she'd come down here. _Damn!_ She cursed once again for good measure. It's a good thing Amber didn't know about the passage. That at least was not on film. Damn Rotti Largo to Hell, for everything. Shilo got a hold of herself. This wasn't accomplishing what she wanted to get done. The grave robber was right. Amber Sweet was most definitely looking for her.

As quietly as she had come down the stone passage, she crept back up it. She checked the window out front and was surprised that there were no Gencops or RepoMen at the door. _Probably figured they covered that ground already, _she mused quietly to herself. Graverobber was making himself pretty scarce. She went through the streets they had come the night before, wandering and trying not to get lost. Mentally she cursed her father for keeping her indoors for so many years. It was damp out and starting to fog, she kept wiping the drizzle from her eyes. Suddenly, across the street she spotted him, and ducked back into the alley way. From behind, she heard a familiar voice. _No way!_ She retraced her steps and peeked around the corner. None other than Amber Sweet and her brother Pavi loomed before her at the other end of the alley way.

"You better make this quick brother. Just because Daddy died doesn't mean I'm not ashamed either," she garnered her opinion on him and made the statement all at once.

"Pavi-a has needs. She will just-a be a street urchin," his sing-song voice began to lure Shilo in. Mentally she shook herself. If she went back to Graverobber right now, he'd be ticked. She was caught between two decisions she'd rather not make. Then she heard

"This is-a the wrong street. It's-a no wonder." They moved off.

She went back to her original position watching Graverobber, playing 'lookout'. Little did either Shilo or Graverobber know that the girl that Graverobber was supplying this instant was Pavi's rendezvous. Shilo saw the Largos come out from behind the alleyway onto the main road, opposite to where Graverobber currently stood. Her mind began to race. _Was this the? Couldn't be. . . _In an instant the transaction was finished and Graverobber was moving on to another corner. Shilo breathed a sigh of relief. He had NO idea how close he had come to running smack-dab into Amber Sweet. If she grew in any gray hairs because of this, Shilo had no one to blame but herself.

_A/N-sorry I didn't mean to leave this hanging, but it was getting long, and I wanted to post. I'll update again soon._


	6. Responsibility

_A/N-HeyThere! An update after 4 years! Anyone still reading? Leave a review if you are. . ._

Shilo heard the helicopters in the distance; the time to leave was _now_. She ran up to Graverobber from where she had been watching and tugged on his arm.

"We need to go, _now_!" The urgency was plain in her voice. She could tell him about what she had just witnessed with Amber and her crew, later.

"Hey, Kid, take it easy." He had just completed a sale which meant there were customers to be had on this rainy day in the semi-light. The helicopter sound came closer and Graverobber looked around. He decided on a course of action. No more dealing today. Things were more serious that he had heretofore believed.

"Looks like Amber and Co. have come back this way. They may have even set a trap. Let's head back to the apartment. Is there anyone else you can go to, Kid? A relative or something?" Shilo thought for a moment.

"No, none that I can think of. Possibly a distant relative, but it was just me and Dad for as long as I can remember. There was also kitty for awhile . . . but that's another story, I guess." Shilo knew she had begun to ramble, but the helicopters were making her nervous. She was reluctant to give up her newfound . . . guardian for lack of a better word.

Graverobber frowned. He couldn't keep her, she wasn't even really _his_ responsibility, but somehow he couldn't shake the feeling that if he didn't do something, there would be drastic consequences and the fact that helicopters had been brought on the scene meant only one thing.

"Ok. Let's get out of here." He would have to get her off the island to keep her alive. Keep the living away from the dead, as it were. Having her as his lookout, or prodigy or what have you would only get her killed. She was more a liability to him while the Largos were looking for her, but she wasn't exactly safe with him either. He was rather in a quandary. If he could pawn her off, maybe, but he wasn't going to do that now, he was pretty certain in any case, wasn't he?

She would have to go, his situation was precarious enough. He mused about all of this as he and Shilo made their way back through the streets and past alleyways. Twice they had to duck behind two more dumpsters, but fortunately no more hanky panky. Graverobber was way past thinking about himself and his own needs now that things were well, grave.

Shilo could still die and he was the _one_ single person on this planet that could keep her alive. The very thought stopped him in his tracks. It took scant few seconds for him to go into shock and he was not a person who could be shocked easily. He had just never had that responsibility before. The whole thing was rather a revelation to him.

Shilo had been paying pretty good attention to his movements thus far, but actually was caught off guard by his lack of movement and ran smack into his back.

"Ow!" she cupped her nose with both hands. Blood began to flow freely. Graverobber turned around to take in the quickly escalating nose situation and deftly pulled a handkerchief from up his sleeve. He was still in shock that somehow she was now_ his_ responsibility, and no one else's.

True that she was old enough and could probably get by without him, but how long would she last really? The only world she had ever known was torn to pieces, smashed by the Largos and the Repomen. To boot, she probably weighed all of 98 pounds soaking wet. Shilo took the handkerchief from him and applied it to her nose. This seemed to staunch the flow, and she began to feel marginally better.

"Let's go. I'm ok. Why did we stop anyway?"

He started to answer when suddenly Shilo's damned blood pressure bracelet gave warning. The handkerchief fluttered to the ground and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her knees gave way.

"Ah crap!" Graverobber exclaimed in an exasperated tone. Her selfish, numbnut father had been messing her up for _years_; and now the waif even had trouble staying upright, lack of blood notwithstanding. No, she most certainly could _not_ make it on her own.

Shilo fainted again for the fourth time in as many days. Scooping her up into his arms was becoming so commonplace these days that his muscles automatically moved to perform the act; her body light and frail. He didn't _ever _want to let it go. The weight of her, she felt . . . right somehow and of course, vulnerable. Graverobber never felt this way before, like he wanted to protect something so fiercely.

This small person was making him feel things he had never felt before, things he didn't want to feel, things different from Amber Sweet. He didn't want to feel them and yet here they were. He nearly dropped his tiny charge he had vowed to protect just last night.

The enormity of it all. He trudged through the mud and rain the rest of the way to the modest apartment. He had to get her out of here, that was final. Gently, he laid Shilo on the bed and tried to come up with a plan. He was exhausted, and while he normally didn't sleep at the apartment, he was too tired to go anywhere else. He shed his coat, gloves and boots, dropped a kiss on Shilo's forehead, and became her bedfellow one more time.


End file.
